The Hidden Princess At All-Boys Alpha Academy
Chapter 0284

Chapter 0284

His brow furrows as he tries to remember. “There was one, um…about the six friends? Who all livedin apartments across a hall from each other? Three guys and three girls?”

“Besties,” I say, immediately supplying the name of the old sitcom we’ve all watched a thousandtimes, smiling softly because I absolutely love that he loved this show.

“Yeah, that one was the best one,” he says, nodding like it’s a fact. “The girls were…really nice toeach other, and so supportive, and so funny. And I learned about…boyfriends and girlfriends anddating. And what mates were. And with movies, I liked…um, what do you call them? Romedies…?”

“Romantic comedies?” I offer. “Romcoms?”

“Yes,” he says, giving me a decided nod that makes me grin. “I loved romcoms, and what the guyscalled ‘chick flicks’ – any movies and shows about women’s lives, I wanted to watch. And then whenI found out that the library existed? And that you could borrow movies and whole seasons ofshows?”

He puffs out his cheeks again, like it completely blew up his world, and I laugh with him.

“I put that library card to work,” he murmurs, staring off into the distance, “never had a late fee andwatched…probably every movie in their collection that had a woman on the cover. And I got books,which answered…so many questions.”

“What like, romance novels?” I ask, curious.

“What’s a romance novel?” he asks, snapping his attention to me, immediately intrigued.

I grin at him and shake my head. “I’ll tell you about those later,” I say with a little laugh, knowing thatit will open a whole new world for him. “But tell me what you mean – what books did you get?”

“Books on science, on the world,” he says, staring down into my eyes. “I…well, that’s how I figuredout that I’d been told a lot of lies at the Community. I read everything I could on history, and biology,and nature. I…I mean, I didn’t even know the earth was round,” he murmurs, closing his eyes on adeep sigh, like he’s embarrassed. “Or that there were…other planets.”

“That is so insane, Jacks,” I whisper, wondering what else he still doesn’t know he doesn’t knowabout.

“Yeah,” he murmurs, sighing. “Some of the science fiction shows I watched made absolutely nosense until I got my hands on a children’s picture book about the solar system. That was…that wasa big day for me.”

I sigh, and reach up, and stroke his cheek. There must be so many gaps in his knowledge, so manythings about the world which he just doesn’t know. And, I mean, it’s not like I know everything…

But I have had the benefit of a world-class education. And Jacks is so clever, and so hungry forknowledge that it breaks my heart. Suddenly, if I could give it to him – everything I have had, even ifit means I had to give it up - I’d do it. In a heartbeat.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Jacks murmurs, gentle, looking down at me with a little sadness in hiseyes.

“Like what?” I whisper, confused.

“Like you pity me,” he murmurs, shaking his head.

I sigh, realizing that he’s right – that I am pitying him, and it’s written all over my face. I reach up,running my fingers through his hair, tucking it back behind his ear. “You’re just so lovely, Jacks,” Iwhisper, meaning every word of it. “I want you to have had…more than what you were given. I knowthat the people who raised you…that you didn’t know any different, and that some of the must have

done their best. But I wish they’d done better by you – given you more. I want you to haveeverything, Jackson. You deserve it. You deserve the world.”

“Well, I’ve got that now, don’t I?” he whispers, tightening his arms around me and giving me a shysmile, clearly meaning what he says and believing it – like now that he has me, he can’t possibly belacking, at all, ever. He leans forward, nudging my nose with his, opening his feelings to me, lettingme understand just how happy and content and whole he feels when we’re like this, curled up witheach other, our own little world. Complete.

And I can’t help it. I’m just completely overwhelmed, absolutely consumed by how much he lovesme already, and how much my feelings match his, inch for inch. I lift my chin, closing the shortdistance between us and wrapping my arms around my mate’s neck as I kiss him, desperate for himto know that he’s mine – mine forever – and that I’m going to do everything in my power to give himthe life he deserves.